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3Dreaming wrote: The frequency of the condition inspection could be every 100 hours or annually, but it is still just a condition inspection.

Although that statement is completely true, this discussion is about experimental aircraft, so the 100 hour inspection reference is irrelevant. The 100 hour is required for commercial operations, in which experimentals are prohibited from engaging.

Paul, I am uncertain, do you know the requirements for maintenance when providing instruction in a ELSA under a LODA issued by the FAA? My guess is that they would require an inspection every 100 hours as well.

3Dreaming wrote: The frequency of the condition inspection could be every 100 hours or annually, but it is still just a condition inspection.

Although that statement is completely true, this discussion is about experimental aircraft, so the 100 hour inspection reference is irrelevant. The 100 hour is required for commercial operations, in which experimentals are prohibited from engaging.

Except for those people who hold LODAs. They can perform commercial operations in their experimentals, and therefore 100 hour inspections are required. However, a light-sport repairman with a maintenance rating, or A&P are required to do the 100 hour. The Repairman/inspection can't do them.

drseti wrote:However I know of no path for converting an SLSA to an E-AB. To be an E-AB, the aircraft must have been initially built as an experimental, and given its original airworthiness certificate that way.

To be eligible to become an E-AB... the aircraft can't ever have held any other airworthiness, and at least 51% must have been built "by amateurs". That alone, disqualifies an SLSA.

The ONLY difference between an E-LSA and an E-AB is: (1) What made the aircraft eligible to be certificated in the appropriate experimental category in the first place, and (2) The process by which one obtains a repairman certificate for each kind of aircraft (for example, for E-AB, the repairman certificate is available to only the person who built more than 51% of the plane, and in the case of E-LSA, it's available to the owner, if the owner took the 16 hour course, and added their aircraft to the list of aircraft on their repairman certificate). There is no "changing experimental categories" once certificated.

Yoda wrote:[My brother once flew a Baby Ace from Idaho to Tennessee without talking to anyone on the radio. But that was 40 years ago ...

I few a Carlson from New York to Texas last October, also didn't talk to anyone. I forgot my usual headset in New Mexico, and borrowed by wife's Bose A20 for the flight. It turned out that the set wasn't compatible with my ICOM A220, so my transmissions were garbled and unreadable. Fortunately, I didn't try to land at a towered field before I found out. After that it was basically NORDO for 5 days straight until I landed at the home base.

Last edited by zaitcev on Fri Feb 02, 2018 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

zaitcev wrote:It turned out that the set wasn't compatible with my ICOM A220, so my transmissions were garbled and unreadable. Fortunately, I didn't try to land at a towered field before I found out.

Would you recommend the ICOM A220?Other than your intercom problem, would you say it is a good radio for light sport VFR?I am planning having one installed very soon and any advice/reports are appreciated.

Wm.Ince wrote:Would you recommend the ICOM A220?Other than your intercom problem, would you say it is a good radio for light sport VFR?

I think you'll never have my problem because you're going to have an intercom between the radio and headset. Carlson is a single-seater, so headset goes straight into radio. And these things happen often, evidently. My David Clark (really!) is not compatible with my Vertex 220 portable.

As far as recommendations, I think it's an okay radio, with some quirks. It replaced the A200 that I kneed in my crash. So, first surprise - the D-connector is not compatible with A200. Also, I flew with it for months now, I looked at the manual, and I cannot figure how to adjust the squelch. The default is fully automatic and works great most of the time, except that in my airplane it thinks that my ignition noise is a signal and that is super annoying. Again not something a real airplane with a shielded ignition would suffer, I imagine.

A hangar neighour installed an A220 into his Cessna 140, and seems happy with it. Like I said, it should be fine in a real airplane.

Knowing what I know now, I would try and find a radio with more traditional controls. I never use the dual monitoring function either.

Chris (the builder) was really against any small radios that go into 2.25" panel holes. I wanted to switch to it because I didn't want to knee the radio again in its present location. But he talked me into A220 because it's supposedly less troublesome.

Wm.Ince wrote:Would you recommend the ICOM A220?Other than your intercom problem, would you say it is a good radio for light sport VFR?I am planning having one installed very soon and any advice/reports are appreciated.

Hi Bill,

I'd highly recommend the Garmin GTR-200 radio over the ICOM. I have a friend with the ICOM and he prefers my GTR-200 over his own ICOM. Just food for thought. If you haven't researched it, have a look at the Garmin.

I'd highly recommend the Garmin GTR-200 radio over the ICOM. I have a friend with the ICOM and he prefers my GTR-200 over his own ICOM. Just food for thought. If you haven't researched it, have a look at the Garmin.